Mysteries of Toonaria: Part 1

Welcome to Toonaria! Wait, what’s Toonaria, again?

Toonaria is a realm of epic magic, advanced technology, superheroes, skyships, fallen gods, secret agendas, secret societies, adorable, but dangerous monsters, towering kaiju, sky pirates, and much, much more.

Wait . . . that sounds like a lot of different genres! Yep, but when done right, genres go together like peanut butter and chocolate, or bacon and eggs! I don’t just stick characters into one genre and have them stumble upon other distant lands where the genres are different (although that can happen, too.) I don’t just toss the concepts into a blender. I’ve spent many years blending them together carefully and with much thought to get them just right (and still do–I’m constantly fleshing out and expanding the universe.) I don’t take myself too seriously, but I take my blended-genre seriously, and will do my best to continue to serve up memorable entertainment.

Toonaria is a blended-genre Campaign Setting, but it’s also more than that. Wait, what’s a campaign setting? Ah, yes, a campaign setting is a world or often a whole universe (in Toonaria‘s case, it’s a whole universe) that is used as the backdrop for tabletop roleplaying games and fiction. Many companies, including QT Games, produces fiction based on characters and events in a campaign setting. So far we’ve produced 2 books that take place in Toonaria, and I’m deep into writing the 3rd. We have others planned, in addition to setting/art books that explore the setting. Toonaria goes further in that it’s also the backdrop to most of my board and card game designs.

Okay, let’s talk about one of the mysteries of Toonaria . . .

Pink Syndrome
A huge section of the floating islands are caught up in something called Pink Syndrome or PS for short. It is a magical (GodStorm-spawned) medical condition in which the affected are prevented from seeing all of the horrors that are sometimes part of life.

After a battle, you might see a fallen warrior, bloody and showing a rib poking out of his chest–dead as a door nail. To those suffering from PS (well, they aren’t actually “suffering”) they see a sleeping warrior who has leaked out a bunch of that mysterious pink stuff. Yes, pink. They never see red, kind of like how some foreign films use another color for blood to avoid a higher rating.) Such observers wouldn’t even consider the warrior dead, but sleeping. They call death the “Great Sleep”. Those who enter the Great Sleep are often celebrated, but there is some sadness, too, as the person will be missed.

Most folks fully believe Sleepers will rise again–and they have on occasion, actually. Way more often than you might think, though not always in ways you might expect. Yes, there’s resurrection and even cloning in certain regions, but there’s a lot of other interesting and mysterious things going on in Toonaria.

If you were playing Epic Destinies and your character entered the Great Sleep, it’s up to the Game Master how permanent that is, but there are a number of ways of coming back from it (some more dangerous than others.) But that’s another mystery . . .

Pink Syndrome does not usually reach those who live underground, or far away from the more densely populated islands. It dulls pain somewhat and keeps one calm and collected, even under difficult circumstances. It messes with vision and causing victims to see things as less severe than they actually are. This can lead to problems, such as not seeking medical attention when one needs it, though there are many places and ways to receive healing when one feels “weak” or “tired” from too much pink loss.

Pain helps us in many ways. It’s like a warning beacon to problems and helps the body compensate (such as heightening our senses and adrenaline during combat, or reminding us to never ever touch the hot stove again.) But pain also makes it hard to focus and is very distracting, so there are advantages and disadvantages to it. If one leaves a major population area for long, the effects of PS start to wear off.

Some creatures have the ability to inflict PS as well (usually it’s a side effect of something it does, not an attack form or talent), and this is usually how people in remote areas catch it. Whatever the case, it makes things pretty interesting and even those who have been healed from it, sometimes find themselves once more under its effects. Such is life in Toonaria. There are far worse and more dangerous mysteries, so no one’s complaining!

Next week, I’ll talk a little about the GodStorm I mentioned above. As always, I covet your questions and comments! Have an amazing week, friends!

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